God Doesn't Make Mistakes!

Most every Monday evening, my family and I watch Monday Night Football.  It really doesn’t matter who plays.  We just like football.

I found last evening inspiring.

Now that I got your attention, I realize an 18-16 score game isn’t exciting, especially when our favorite team wasn’t playing.  But I was inspired nonetheless.

Before the game, during all the commentary about who should win, who won’t win, why they will win, and why they won’t, there was a piece . . . a segment . . . on Joey.

A little girl who died at Sandy Hook Elementary School while she and her class were celebrating her birthday.  Almost her entire class was murdered.  A tragic loss.

What inspired me was her story.  How her parents reacted.  Their devastating and tragic loss.  A stupid and senseless loss.  My wife and I wept.

But in the aftermath, what followed, was that a playground was built in her honor.  There was an inscription . . . I wish I could remember the entirety of it and I’m afraid I can’t, I’m very sorry I can’t . . . but the inscription was something to the effect of “Joey can’t be here, but she wants you to play.”  And her mother said, that Joey spent most of her life playing.  Playing on a playground.  And when the idea came up from a fireman to build a playground in her memory, her mother stated, “Yes.  Someone who gets it.”  And as she said it, she smiled and looked up.  She looked up and it was a beautiful smile.  I won’t forget that.  Not ever.

And while her story was so moving, it was Ray Lewis, the retired linebacker and leader of the Ravens who tied it all together for me.

He sent a letter to the family and that letter has come to mean so much to the family.  When Ray Lewis was asked to explain why he sent the letter to the family . . . and again, I’m not at all doing justice to him, to his thoughts, to his meaning, nor to the memory and impact that Joey had on, well, most everyone, especially me, he said, “God Doesn’t Make Mistakes.”

God Doesn’t Make Mistakes.

I needed to hear that.

I wrote two posts recently, Inconvenienced By Tragedy and Final Applause, that spoke to the death of my nephew and its impact on my extended family . . . the impact on me.  Ray Lewis’ statement, “God Doesn’t Make Mistakes!” pretty much summed it up a heck of a lot better than I could.  Than I did.

You see, he explained that evil is all around us.  All around us.  But God has a way of using that evil . . . a tragedy . . . to bring about some good.  To bring an impact in our lives . . . in the lives of others.

Gang, I’m not a great philosopher.  I write words and most of the time, I hope and pray they spring from my heart.  Sometimes I fall flat on my face.  Sometimes . . . I hope most times . . . I manage to rise above the floor a little bit.

But, while you and I might not ever know of the good that springs from evil . . . God might turn an evil around and into something good . . . I truly believe, like Ray Lewis does, that God Doesn’t Make Mistakes.  Not ever.  No way.  There might always be evil in the world.  Unfortunately, always.  Yet, I honestly believe . . . deep in my soul, deep in my heart of hearts . . . that there will always be good.  And, I believe more importantly, good will always trump evil.  Always!  I might not understand it.  I may not see it in my lifetime.  But I believe that good will always trump evil.  Because in the end, God Doesn’t Make Mistakes.  That is something to think about . . .

Live Your Life, and Make A Difference!